Solar Orbiter tracks origin of mysterious magnetic switchbacks

What happened

The spacecraft has now added another crucial piece to this puzzle by tracing a switchback back to its source at the Sun. The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has flown through an S-shaped kink known as a ‘switchback’ in the solar wind’s magnetic field. The European Space Agency is a research and development company based in Paris.

Science & Exploration Solar Orbiter tracks origin of mysterious magnetic switchbacks 08/10/2026 7 views 0 likes ESA / Science & Exploration / Space Science / Solar Orbiter The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has flown through an S-shaped kink known as a ‘switchback’ in the solar wind’s magnetic field. The Sun has an intense and restless magnetic field.

This field not only governs the star itself but is also dragged outwards along field lines by the solar wind, a stream of hot charged particles (plasma) that continuously pours out from the Sun into space. These lines can twist, snap, or fold back on themselves on their journey through the Solar System.

Back in 2022, ESA reported that Solar Orbiter had spotted a kink in the solar wind’s magnetic field known as a ‘switchback’ . While switchbacks have been spotted often near the Sun, scientists are still debating how they form.